Hartford Party Starters Union Brings Glasser To Hartford Nov. 19

Cameron Mesirow steps into her musical alter ego as Glasser when the Hartford… (Handout )

November 18, 2010

When Cameron Mesirow steps into her musical alter ego as Glasser, she morphs into a sort of one-woman orchestra, creating dreamy soundscapes built around haunting vocals and heavy layers of electronic and organic instrumentation.

The approach pays off handsomely on "Ring," where Mesirow eschews traditional verse-chorus song structures and creates a circular sequence of songs that allows listeners to dive in anywhere on the nine-track set and embark on the album's journey from a fresh starting point.

"Ring" is surely one of the more stunning debuts of the year, netting Glasser constant comparisons to the likes of Bjork and Fever Ray. Yet the songs weren't exactly created with live performance in mind, and the dramatic, technically fascinating recreation of the material on-stage is a major source of the buzz that saw Glasser come out on the top of many must-see lists after a trio of performances at the trendsetting CMJ festival last month.

You can experience the phenomena up close and personal when the Hartford Party Starters Union brings Glasser to Hartford on Friday for a show at the Arch Street Tavern (85 Arch St.). Hartford's own Ghostwaves opens. Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $8. Information: 860-246-7610 or http://www.hartfordpartystarters.org.